Process of producing hydrogen.



y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. V

CARL BOSCH AND WILHELM WILD, 0F LUDWIGSHAFEN-ON-THE-RHINE, GERMANY,

ASSIGNORS T0 BADISCHE ANILIN & SODA FABnIK, or LUDWIGSHAFEN ON-THE- mama, GERMANY.

PROCESS or PRODUCING HYDROGEN.

No. 417,068 that hydrogen can be obtained by passing carbon monoXid and steam, either simultaneously or alternately, over nickel or metallic cobalt, but that the preferred method of carrying out'the reaction consists in passing the two gases simultaneously, at the same time employing the least possible amount of nickel and cobalt, and with this object the aforesaid metals are spread on a non-metallic indifferent refractory and porous material, such for instance as pumice stone; WVe have found that we can carry out the said reaction of obtaining hydrogen in a much more favorable manner by passing carbon monoxid and steam over a new form of catalytic agent containing at least thirty per cent. of'finely divided cobalt and not more than seventy per cent. of a nonmetallic', indifferent, refractory and porous material, the said catalytic agent being porous andv shaped into the form of blocks, such for instance as briquets, cubes, tubes, rods or the like. monoxid We include both carbon monoxid itself and also gases containing it, such for instance as water-gas and generator-gas. Catalytic agents can be prepared from the finely divided cobalt with the employment of suitable diluents which may act as binding agents and may be either organic or inorganic in nature. Excellent results can be obtained by preparing an oxid,-hydroxid or carbonate of cobalt, eitherby precipitation from solutions of its salts, or by heating suitable salts such for instance as the oxalate or nitrate, While avoiding too high a tem-' perature, then molding the resulting proclucts and, if necessary, heating before introduction into the reaction furnace. It is often advantageous to add such compounds as, upon heating, give rise to gas either by de composition or by complete volatilization, since this tends to increase the porosity of the catalytic agent. The decomposition can be promoted by passing a gas or gases, such Specification oi Letters Patent.

Under the term carbon Patented 0a. 6, 1914.

Application filed October 29, 1913. Serial No. 798,006.

for instance as air, carbon dioxid, chimney gases or water-gas, over or through the mass.

During the production or use of the catalytic agent, the cobalt may remainin the metallic state, or it may become more or less oxidized, or its condition may vary from time to time, consequently we regard the oxids as equivalent to the,mctal for the purposes of this invention.

The production of hydrogen by the aid of such catalytic agents can be carried out by adding an excess of steam to a gas containing carbon monoxid, such for instance as water-gas, or a gas of similar composition,

and then passing the mixture of gases over the catalytic agent and subsequently removing the carbon dioxid formed. The action of the catalytic agent is very satisfactory at temperatures of about from 400 to 500 C, or even less down. to 350 0., but temperatures above 650 C. should be avoided.

It is advisable to keep both the catalytic agent and the gases free from substances such as sulfur and chlorin which have a deteriorating action on the catalytic agent.

Much better results can be obtained when using thenew form of catalytic agent ac cording to our invention than is possible when following the directions given in the aforesaid Patent N 0. 417,068, and this could not have been foreseen, since, in the majority of catalytic reactions, such porous high percentage blocks have not been used. Thus, for the production of sulfur trioxid, the agent used consists of asbestos with finely divided platinum distributed over it, while, for oxidizing ammonia, the catalytic metal is employed in the form of wire netting; for hydrogenizing fats the metal is used in. the form of powder or of a colloidal suspension. The new catalytic agents employed according to our invention, however, are characterized by not sintering when used and also by maintaining their shape and not breaking down to powder.

The following example will serve to illustrate the method of producinga catalytic agent and of producing hydrogen by its means, but we do not in any way restrict our invention to this example. The parts are by weight.

Mix together 10 parts of finely divided cobalt oxid (prepared by raising cobalt nitrate to a red heat), l part of calcined mag nesia, and 2 parts by volume of a 50% magu neslum nltrate solution. Press the mixture into small briquets, dry and heat up to 500 C. Place the briquets in a contact furnace and pass through it a mixture of water-gas with an excess of steam, While maintaining a temperature of about 500C,

and then extract the carbon dioxid from the resulting gases in any suitable manner.

The proportions given in the above example and also the materials employed can be varied considerably without departing from the nature of this invention.

' and porous material.

fore in the present invention a part of the cobalt may be replaced by nickel.

Now What We claim is:

The process of'producing hydrogen by passing carbon monoxi d and steam; at a temperature between 350 C. and 650- (1., simultaneously over a catalytic a ent in lumps] containing more than 30% o cobalt and a non-metallic, indifferent refractory I i In testn ony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses. p

CARL BOSCH. WILHELM WILD.

\Vitnesses: i

J.'ALEC. LLOYD, S. S. BERGER. 

